ROOSEVELT OPTIMISTIC

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 June 1944, Page 6

ROOSEVELT OPTIMISTIC

WAR SITUATION REVIEWED

JAPS.’ EARLIER SURRENDER

WASHINGTON, June 12. President Roosevelt, broadcasting at the opening of the Fifth War Loan drive for sixteen thousand million dollars, said: “We still have a long way to go to Tokio, but we are carrying out our original strategy of eliminating the European enemy first ana then turning all our strength on the Pacific. We can force the Japanese to unconditional surrender or national suicide much more rapidly than has been thought possible, We deprived the Japanese of the power to check the momentum of evergrowing, everadvancing military forces. We reduced Japanese shipping by more than three million tons, overcame their original air advantage and cut off tens of thousands of beleaguered ivo °V s who face starvation or surrender. We cut down their naval strength so that for many months they have avoided all risk "of encountering our naval forces.” Reviewing the progress of the war, President Roosevelt, declared: “The Allies have taken the offensive throughout the world. Germany has her back to the wall—in fact three walls at once. Firstly, in the south we have broken her hold on Central Italy. The Allies are allowing the enemy no respite and are pressing hard on the Germans’ heels as they retreat northwards in ever-growing confusion. Secondly, on the east, our wallant Soviet allies are now initiating crushing blows. Thirdly, overhead the vast Allied air fleets are waging bitter war over Germany and Western Europe and have two major objectives—to destroy German war industries and to shoot the Luftwaffe out of the air. German production has been whittled down continuously, and the German fighter force has only a fraction of its former power. Fourthly, on the west a hammer blow has been struck at the coast of France a c the culmination of many months of careful planning and strenuous preparation. ' Mr Roosevelt continued: From tne standpoint of the enemy we have achieved the impossible. We have broken through the supposedly impregnable wall of Northern France. I The 0 assault was costly in men and materials. Some of our landings were desperate adventures. But from advices received so far the losses are lower than the commanders had estimated We have established a firm foothold and are now preparedto meet inevitable counter-attacks with •power and confidence. We all pray that we will have far more than a fll Mr lO ßoosevelt said that United States war production since the rail of France had been nothing short of a miracle. He recalled that he was called crazy in 1340 for requesting the production of fifty thousand aeroplanes yearly, but America to-day was building a hundred thousand aeroplanes a year.

huge cost of war

WASHINGTON, June .12

Mr. Henry Morgenthad, in a speech revealed that it had cost 6700 million dollars to march from Naples to Rome and 6000 millions to capture the Marshall Islands. I leave it to you,” he said, ‘to estimate the cost of the march from Rome to Berlin and from the Marshalls to Tokio. The war has already cost 200,000 millions and will probably cost an additional 95,000 millions before the end oi 1944. HOMES FOR REFUGEES. WASHINGTON, June 13. In a message to Congress regarding the United States’ action in finding a temporary haven for . yugees, President Roosevelt said: As l .he hour for the final defeat of the H'tlerite forces draws near the fury o their insane desire to Wipe out theJewish race in Europe continues undiminished. Many Christian groups also are being murdered. Knowing they have lost the war, the Nazis have determined on a complete programme of mass extermination. This programme has but one manifestation. Hitler’s aim is to salvage from military defeat a victory for Nazi principles.”